The author is a poet, counsellor, and occasional scholar-in-residence. Musings on everything from advaita ("non-dualism") to sustainable living, interspersed with poems. Thanks to Zvi Jaspan of Kibbutz Tzora for the name for this blog.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

The Genius of Natan Alterman

Natan Alterman was one of Israel's greatest modernist poets. Here is my translation ( a WIP) of one of his poems that is almost impossible to translate and yet preserve the original prosody: Note the poem is written in atbash format - that is the first verse (verse "Aleph") parallels the last verse (verse "Taf"), the second verse (verse "bet") parallels the penultimate verse ( verse "shin") and so on....with the middle verse acting as a bridge betwen the two parallel sections.

The Foundling

My mother laid me at the foot of the fenceon my back. Quiet and wrinkled.and as if in a well, I gazed from below,'til she fled as one who flees from a blow.And I gazed at her, as if from in a welland the moon, like a candle, raised above us on high

But before the dawn's lightthat very same nightI slowly aroseat the appointed hourand returned to my mother's houselike a ball returningto one who kicked it awayI return to her house, like a ball rolling backand caress her neckwith hands of shade

In the sight of the Supremefrom her neck she tore me,as if I were a leechbut when night came downI returned as beforeand this has become our pact:as before, at night-fall, I reurnand nightly she bows to the yoke

and the doors of her dream are wide open to meand no person is there but Ibecause the love of our souls remains taughtlike a bow, from the day I was bornbecause the love of our souls remains taughtand can never be given or taken away...

Thus 'til the end, God has not moved mefrom the heart of my protesting parentand I- who was severed without being weanedwill not be weaned or cleftand I- who was severed without being weanedenter her house and lock the gate

She aged in my jail and grew barren and shrankand her face grew folds like my ownthen I dressed her in white with my tiny handslike a mother dresses her living babethen I dressed her in white with my tiny handsand carried her off without saying to where

And I placed her at the foot of the fence.Gazing quietly on her backand she looked at me, laughing, as if from a welland we knew our battle was doneand she looked at me, laughing, as if from a welland the moon, like a candle, raised above us on high

"Everyone's got to serve someone"

a "hogeh deyot" - Hebrew for someone who thinks a lot about things that are not directly related to the daily round. I worships two G?ds, that are probably one and the same - creativity and balance. Sat. Chit. Ananda. Gila Rina Ditza ve Chedva. Adoshem Hu Elokim. Veshal-om shanti shanti.